A princess in search of her past. A boy driven by money. A crew that is loyal to the end.
Princess Ria is adopted, and she has lived with the acceptance that she will never know her real parents. But when she learns of the existence of her adoption...
The unforgiving summer sun burned the city of Sivona. The Kingdom of the Draga Isles had always been hot and humid, but this warm season came hostile, tanning Gin's arms under the rolled-up sleeves of his tunic. When he rubbed the back of his neck, his hand came away damp. Sweat rolled over his forehead as he walked among the people that shared the same scent of sunburns.
The terrain slanted up as he strode toward the royal palace, following a gathering crowd that moved along the roadways carved on the hill, snaking to the top. People pushed against each other--elbow-to-elbow. The suffocating sensation made him regret coming to the center of the city.
Today was the day of the month when the king would step out in public to show himself to his subjects, and everyone in the capital came out to see their ruler.
He kept his eyes up, squinting against the sunlight until he came into the shadow of the palace made of bright gray stones. And there, at the highest balcony of the outer keep, stood a man dressed in a fine green robe, glittering with colorful gems.
Gin had dreamed of being in the palace when he was young. As a boy, he thought it was possible to become one of them--a rich man or a blue blood. But he went through life with too many disappointments and pain that he learned that money for someone like him did not come from dreams, it came from hard work and a lot of hustling.
The crowd cheered and the king--Daniluca Carniel dela Romeza--raised his hand and waved at the people.
Gin's lips curled back in disgust, and he let out a disapproving sigh. He didn't understand why the people loved the king.
"Gin, we have to go," Juli, a short girl with brown eyes and black hair, nudged him on his side with an elbow.
"That's enough look at the king for me for this year," Sam said to no one in particular. He was a man who was a foot shorter than Gin, but he was large--all muscled--and could intimidate a bull into submission.
Gin had nearly forgotten about his crew--his cousin, Juli, and his friend, Sam, who had dragged him from the harbor and forced him to walk into land for an hour only to see a man flaunt his riches.
Juli and Sam had already turned away from the palace, and before he followed, he took one more glance at the balcony, taking to memory the king's attire and the uncountable wasted stones that were sewn into the cloth. If only the king had given them to the children in the streets or had just thrown them over the balcony, perhaps Gin would like the man more.
Then his eyes moved to the shadows of the door behind the king where he noticed movement and what looked to be a girl in a dark green dress similar to the king's robe. The princess?
The king's adopted sister had never shown herself in public. Even now, it was difficult to see her face within the shaded doorway. She was almost just a silhouette--a ghost.
"Gin! Let's go!" Juli called again and Gin pivoted, pulling his gaze away from the balcony.
He pushed through the sea of people until he found his way to Juli and Sam's side, striding to match their pace.
"They call her the Water Lily now," Sam said when Gin caught up beside him. A white monkey with a black tail on his shoulder gave a loud gecker and he laughed. "A lot of wet ocean that is. Isn't that right, Reno?" Sam's voice changed to a silly cuddly tone when he asked the question, petting the monkey.
"Why? 'Cause all she does is float around mindlessly?" Juli snickered, waving her mechanical right hand in the air, making a floating motion. The gears on her finger joints rotated silently and flawlessly, making her movements look human though everything from her fingers to her wrist was a machine. Her forearm displayed large nasty scars that crawled up to her elbow. She had tried to hide them with tattoos but the skin damages were too deep, too evident.
Gin never learned what happened to his cousin. All he knew was that Juli went on a trip with her father one day when she was only five, and they came back with her bloody and without a hand.
Juli never liked talking about it and anyone who stared got to know what kind of weapon that hand could be--what kind of concresi she could be.
"I think it's because she has an affinity for water," Sam said to Juli.
"Of course she does. The royal family took her from a tribe of sea gypsies. I'd be more surprised if she doesn't know how to swim," Juli said, her black hair tied in a high ponytail swaying as she walked.
"Are you talking about the princess?" Gin asked. "Did you see her too?" He leaned into the conversation.
"See her where?" Sam said.
"On the balcony." Gin pointed over his shoulder to the palace.
Juli gave him a grin. "I think you've been away from water for too long. No one else was on that balcony except for the king." She laughed.
Gin didn't argue. He knew what he saw but no one else had seen the shadow behind the king. No one else had seen the princess. Or perhaps, it was not the princess at all but only a servant standing in wait.
"Remind me again why we need to leave too early to get back to the port?" Gin asked.
"It's getting too crowded here. Do you really want to stay and watch the king wave at his subjects all day?" Juli answered.
Reno squeaked with distaste as if he understood what was being discussed.
Sam humphed. "The king should spend his time better. He should be throwing us gold coins from his coffers. We don't need his waves or his smiles. We need money!"
Juli laughed. "Wet ocean, that's true. Besides, we're sea gypsies, Gin. We're better off near water than near palaces."
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